


A Dusty Little Town

by Mangoesaregood8



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cute Ending, Falling In Love, Fluff, Love, M/M, Wild West, Zine: Parallel Love - Gladnis AU Zine, cowboy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:28:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25352449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mangoesaregood8/pseuds/Mangoesaregood8
Summary: Ignis is on his way to a business meeting out West and stops in a small town to rest up for the night.  The town may not be to his taste, but he meets Gladio, a regular at the bar who gives Ignis a reason to visit again on his way back home.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia
Kudos: 15





	A Dusty Little Town

**Author's Note:**

> My piece for the Parallel Love Gladnis AU Zine~

Ignis scowled as he wiped the dust from his pants for what seemed like the hundredth time. He was used to the paved streets of the city, but this far out West, the roads were scarcely more than dirt paths. It had to have been weeks since it last rained in this town, because every step he took kicked up another cloud of dust. At this rate he would have to have his suit laundered before his meeting.

He had been stuck in the coach since sun up, and still had two more days of travel ahead of him. As dirty as his surroundings were, he was glad for the break from the bumps and jolts from his shared coach. He wandered down the street with bag in hand, ignoring the pointed stares from people as he passed. Ignis was far out of his element, and his tailored suit made it painfully obvious.

This was the first major stop on his way to the next city. The coach would be stopping overnight to give the drivers a chance to sleep, and the horses a chance to rest. Now was the perfect time to satiate the gnawing hunger in his stomach. There had to be a restaurant around somewhere. 

He stopped in front of a building with a porch that spanned across its front. It was popular with the locals; people were wandering in and out. Ignis looked up and squinted as he tried to make out the faded text above the door.

_ SALOON _

“It’s better than nothing I suppose…” Ignis tightened his grip on his bag and headed inside. A man was playing the piano just inside the door. It was an upbeat tune, and several of the patrons were dancing to it. A few of the tables had dusty figures huddled together as they played poker. Some men leaned over the bar as they drank and talked with the bartender. 

Ignis made his way over to the first empty barstool he could find and picked up a menu. The options were a far cry from the high class dishes he was used to eating, but anything would do to fill his stomach at this point. The bartender came over a few minutes later to take his order.

“Excuse me, but could you please explain to me what biscuits and gravy is?” Ignis asked.

The bartender gave him a look before answering. “It’s a plate of biscuits covered in gravy.”

“I see.” The explanation didn’t make what exactly the menu entry was any more clear to Ignis. Then again, it seemed like the most edible thing on the menu. “I’ll have an order of that.”

The bartender took the menu back and went off to fix Ignis’s plate.

There was a chorus of loud cheers and curses behind Ignis and a loud thud as someone slammed a hand of cards down on the table.

“Better luck next time fellas.” A tall man with a dark hat collected his winnings and sat down on the empty stool next to Ignis. “Give me a drink, bartender.”

The bartender grabbed a beer from an ice box and slid it down the length of the bar into the stranger’s waiting hand.

“It sounded as though you had a rather fortunate hand,” Ignis said to the man.

“Yeah. Pretty lucky day. You play?” 

“No.” Ignis shook his head. “I don’t particularly care for gambling.”

“It’s a shame. You can make some good money if you know what you’re doing.”

“I see.”

The man held his hand out to Ignis. “The name’s Gladiolus Amicitia, but everyone calls me Gladio.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Amicitia. My name is Ignis Scientia.”

“It’s Gladio. My father is Mr. Amicitia.”

“Gladio then.” It felt wrong to be on such familiar terms with someone he had just met, but considering the state of the town, Ignis thought it would be wise to refrain from upsetting its residents.

Gladio took a few swigs of his beer before setting it back down on the bar. “So what brings a businessman like you all the way out here? We don’t get tourists very often.”

“I’m on my way to a meeting. I have an appointment further out West with a client. They live on the West Coast so we decided to meet somewhere in the middle of the country,” Ignis explained.

“Really.” Gladio nodded. “So what kind of business are you in?”

“I’m an investor.”

The bartender returned with Ignis’s order and set the plate down in front of him. Ignis looked at his plate with a frown and picked up one of the biscuits. It certainly wasn’t what he was expecting.

“Something wrong?” Gladio asked.

“This is a biscuit?” Ignis asked. He carefully examined one of the foreign shapes.

“Yeah, and they’re pretty good. You haven’t had one before?”

“Not like this, no.” Ignis smelled the biscuit. A mellow, buttery scent wafted up to his nose. It couldn’t be too bad, right? He took a cautious nibble. It was a bit on the dry side, but overall not too bad.

“You’re gonna want something to wash that down. Let me get you a drink,” Gladio said.

“I thank you for the offer, but I’ll be fine.” Ignis took another bite before dabbing at his lips with his napkin. If the drinks here were as questionable as the menu, he wasn’t sure he wanted to try one.

Gladio drummed his fingers on the table, trying to think of something else they could talk about. He had no idea what, but something in him wanted to keep talking to this stranger. They didn’t get many businessmen passing through the tiny town. There wasn’t much to do other than drinking at the saloon, and they weren’t close to any major cities. Thankfully their town was pretty self sufficient. They had plenty of land, so food was never an issue, even though the weather stayed on the dry side.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what do you do for a living?” Ignis asked. He had finished one of his biscuits and pushed the bowl of gravy to the side. He wasn’t feeling adventurous enough to try it.

“Huh?” Gladio blinked and sat up on his stool. “Oh, I’m a farmer. My sister and I help our dad out with the animals and the crops. I mostly handle the animals though,” he explained.

“What animals do you raise?” Ignis asked. A friendly conversation couldn’t hurt. He still time to kill before he could retire for the night.

“Mostly sheep and goats, but we also have a few chickens and a cow. My sister got really into making cheese, so between the goats and the cow she’s got her hands full. I watch over the sheep and shear them in the spring. We let the chickens wander around wherever they want, but we put them back in the coop at night so they don’t get attacked.”

“It sounds as though you care deeply for your animals.”

“I do. I’m sure you won’t meet happier and healthier animals anywhere else in town.”

Ignis smiled softly. The man in front of him was certainly a little rough around the edges, but deep down, maybe he wasn’t so bad. “That sounds like a challenge.”

“It wasn’t meant to be, but if you’ve got the time, go for it.”

“Unfortunately I don’t. I have to be on the coach first thing in the morning.”

Gladio frowned. “That’s a shame. If you had a bit more time, I’d show you around the town. You could even meet my sister.” He finished his beer and flagged the bartender down for another.

“Why don’t you tell me about her?” Ignis asked.

Gladio nodded. “I’m sure you’d love her. She’s eight years younger than me, and one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. She’s got a heart of gold. I think that’s one of the reasons why all of the animals like her so much.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m pretty sure she knows everyone in town, and everyone knows her. I’m just her big, scary brother.”

“That’s quite the title. Though it would keep away any… unworthy suitors,” Ignis said. The scar running down the length of the left side of Gladio’s face was intimidating enough on its own. Combined with Gladio’s sheer size… It would make any young man think twice about hurting his sister.

“I hope so. She just turned fifteen. A little too early to try and settle down.”

“Ah, I see.” Ignis picked at another biscuit. If Gladio’s sister was fifteen, then that meant Gladio was around the same age as he was. 

“I’m not looking forward to those days though. It feels like I was helping her learn how to walk yesterday, and now she’s almost ready to get married. Time flies.” Gladio sipped at his beer, the cool liquid felt refreshing on his dry throat.

Ignis watched Gladio’s movements, studying how each muscle in the man’s arm moved as he did. For someone so big, he was so graceful. “If your offer still stands, I think I will take that drink now.” He really did need something to wash the biscuit down. Any time he tried to swallow, the biscuit would stick to the inside of his throat.

Gladio finished his second beer and ordered them another round. Ignis took a few sips, admiring the smooth taste. The beers he had tried in the city weren’t nearly as good as this one.

“Well, now you know all about me. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?” Gladio asked.

“What do you mean? I already told you about my work,” Ignis said.

“Yeah, but work can’t be all that you do. What do you do in your free time. What’s it like where you live?”

Ignis thought the questions over before responding. “I’m sorry to disappoint, but my life isn’t all that interesting. Work takes up most of my time, though I do enjoy cooking when time permits.”

“Oh? What do you cook?”

“An assortment of things. Before I started in business, I dabbled around with the idea of being a chef. But it’s hard to get established, and I needed a job with a more reliable source of income,” Ignis explained. He didn’t usually open up this much to people he had just met, but Gladio was different from most people. Beneath the rugged exterior was a kind and caring man. One that Ignis wouldn’t mind getting to know better.

“Are you any good at it?” Gladio asked.

“I’d like to think I am. Perhaps one day I could make something for you and let you judge my abilities for yourself.”

Gladio smiled, feeling heat flush through his face from drink. “I’d like that a lot. I could give you some of Iris’s cheese as a thank you. I’m sure you’d like it. Everyone around here does.”

“I look forward to it.” Ignis kept a firm grip on his drink, watching as the condensation ran down his fingers. The conversation with Gladio flowed so naturally, as though they were old friends catching up after a few years apart. If that was the case, then why was he so nervous. He couldn’t stop the jittery feeling in his stomach.

“You’re a good guy Ignis,” Gladio said. His cheeks were flushed even deeper now, and it wasn’t just from the beer. “When did you say you were leaving again?”

“Tomorrow morning. I have to get to that meeting with my client.”

“Oh right…” Gladio frowned and bit his lip. “That’s not a lot of time. You should’ve stayed a little longer so you could look around a little.”

“In my defense, I didn’t know much about this town in the first place. I had no plans to sightsee on my way over, but I might have to allow some time on my way back home,” Ignis said.

“Yeah, you should. I know you’re used to the city and all, but I really think you’d like it out here.”

“It’s a bit dusty for my liking. How can you possibly manage to keep your clothes clean?”

“You don’t,” Gladio said with a smirk. “It’s all we know, so it doesn’t bother us. You get used to it after a while.”

“I doubt I would, but if you say so.”

“Hey…” Gladio bit his lip again and adjusted his hat. “You think I could give you a gift? Something to remember me by when you’re on the road?”

“We’ve only just met, but if you feel so inclined, I won’t object.”

“Good.” Gladio leaned in closer. “Close your eyes.”

Ignis hesitated for a moment before doing as he was told. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but the press of Gladio’s lips against his wasn’t it. His eyes flew open in surprise, but he didn’t pull away. Gladio still had his eyes closed, his long, dark lashes tickling Ignis’s cheek. Ignis leaned in closer and rested his hand on Gladio’s thigh. It was warm beneath the thick fabric of his pants.

Gladio pulled away after a minute, his gaze pointing down to the floor.

“I…” Ignis was at a loss for words. How was he supposed to respond after that? It wasn’t unpleasant. Gladio’s sun chapped lips were surprisingly soft against his own. 

“Sorry. I couldn’t help myself,” Gladio said.

“It’s alright.” Ignis felt a soft blush creeping into his own cheeks. “I wasn’t aware you were interested in other men.”

“It’s not exactly something I tell people when I first meet them.” He finally looked up, meeting Ignis’s eyes once more. “You think you’ll be able to remember me or should I give you another present?”

Ignis looked out the grimy window. The sky was painted in reds and oranges as the sun started to set below the horizon. “I think this is fine for now. I need to get to my room and settle in for the night. Perhaps you could save your other present for when I return?”

“I could do that. When do you think you’ll be in town next?”

“If everything goes well, I should be back in two weeks.”

“You promise?” Gladio asked. 

“Yes, I do.”

Gladio smiled. It was the type of smile that could light up a whole room. “Good. I’ll see you in two weeks.” He waved the bartender over to settle his tab, and even paid for Ignis’s food, despite Ignis’s protests, before leaving the saloon.

Ignis gathered his bag and took the stairs up to his room. He knew he needed to stay focused on his meeting, but he couldn’t stop from wondering about what other presents Gladio might have for him when he got back.


End file.
